Box moving mechanism



Dec. 1, 1936.

c. H. PAXTQN BOX MOVING MECHANISM 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 26-, 1952 Dec. 1, 1936. c PAXTQN 2,062,525 BOX MOVING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 26, 1952 2 Sheeis-heet 2 I l v 'Invenlor lzkzfllflzzi on ,4 Home y Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOX MOVING MECHANISM Application November 26, 1932, Serial No. 644,514

3 Claims.

My invention relates to box moving mechanism particularly adapted to be employed in the fruit and vegetable packing industry for rapidly moving boxes from the lidding machine or strapping machine employed to apply lids to the boxes or to apply straps across the lids of the boxes.

In the fruit and vegetable packing industry,- particularly the citrus industry, it is the common practice to employ a conveyor mechanism upon which boxes which have been filled with fruit are passed to a lidding machine, which machine applies a cover over the filled box and nails the same thereto after which the box is passed to a strapping machine by which a strap or wire binder is applied across the covers or lids of the boxes so that when the boxes emerge from the strapping machine they are ready for shipment.

My invention is particularly adapted to be employed in connection with the usual lidding machine and strapping machine commonly used in this industry, a typical example of such lidding machine being illustrated in Patent No. 1,576,213, granted to George D. Parker, on -March 9, 1926, a typical example of the box strapping machine being illustrated in the George D. Parker Patent No. 1,777,474, granted October 7, 1930, these lidding and strapping machines usually including a nailing table constituting a series of rollers forming a conveyor over which the boxes are drawn into lidding position in the lidding machine and into strapping position in the strapping machine, the machines being placed end to end in line with a feed conveyor over which the filled boxes are passed to the machine so that the nailing tables and the lidding and strapping machines form links of a continuous conveyor in the packing house.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a box moving mechanism on the lidding machine and the strapping machine which will engage the boxes while in place on the nailing tables thereof and Will move said boxes out of the ma-' chine upon the completion of the lidding and strapping operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a box moving mechanism which is connected to and operated by the box lidding mechanism of the box lidding machine to engage the box while the box is in place in the lidding machine so that after the lidding operations are complete and the box is released from the lidding machine, it will be rapidly moved out of the lidding machine.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a box moving mechanism of the character described which will be simple in construction,

strong, durable, highly efilcient and reliable in operation, and which may be manufactured and installed at low cost.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:--

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, showing a box moving mechanism in accordance with the present invention operatively mounted on a lidding machine and a strapping machine of the character set forth.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the invention, showing the lidding mechanismin horizontal section and omitting the strapping mechanism.

Figure 3 is a detail view in vertical transverse section, taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail view in vertical transverse section, taken substantially onfthe line 4-4 of Figure 2. I

Figure 5 is a detail view in perspective of the dog.

Figure 6 is a detail 'view in perspective showing, as viewed substantially from the line 6-6 in Figure 1, the means for attaching the dog retracting cable to the drive mechanism of the lidding machine.

Figure 7 is a detail view in perspective of the frame of the carriage;

Referring to the drawings, there is diagrammatically illustrated a typical layout of a section of the conveyor line such as is commonly employed in fruit packing houses for the transportation of boxes filled with fruit from the packers.

Figures 1' and 2 illustrate a section of the usual feed conveyor 1 which extends from the packing tables (not shown) and terminates at one end of a lidding. machine 2, at the opposite end of which is located a strapping machine 3. The conveyor l may be of any of the types commonly employed in this industry, and is indicated herein as being of the rollerconveyor type, which includes a pair of spaced side'rails 'la mounted upon suitable legs or standards lb, and having a plurality of rollers lc extending transversely between the rails la to form a continuous series of rollers over which boxes filled with fruit may be readily moved in the longitudinal direction of the rails la.

The lidding machine, illustrated diagrammatically herein, represents a type of lidding machine common in this industry and illustrated and described in detail in the George D. Parker Patent No. 1,576,213, hereinbefore referred to, the essential features of which include a box supporting table 2a usually constructed as a section of roller type conveyor similar in all respects to the conveyor and including rollers 22) extending transversely of the lidding machine 2 over which boxes may be readily moved from the conveyor into lidding and nailing position in the lidding machine 2. The lidding machine 2 also includes a nailing head l0 mounted above the box supporting table la and adapted to move from an elevated position, illustrated in dotted lines Illa, down toward the box supporting table to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to nail lids to the filled boxes and then return it to the elevated position upon one complete rotation of a drive-shaft 4, each end of which is connected to the nailing head H! by means of cranks 6 secured to the ends of the driveshaft 4, each of the cranks engaging a socket 8 forming the lower end of connecting rods 1, the upper ends of which are secured to the nailing head Hi. The drive shaft 4 may be actuated at the will of an operator to rotate through one complete revolution by any suitable power mechanism, such as an electric motor 4a connected through a suitable chain drive 4b to a clutch 4c controlled in any desired manner, as by a foot pedal 4d to be actuated by the operator when a'box is in lidding position on the supporting table 2a.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the boxes l3, fed from the feed conveyor I, will pass onto the supporting table 2a and stop in the position shown by the representation of the box in the lidding machine 2, and a cover |3a may be placed thereon and the lidding machine operated to move the nailing head I0 downwardly to bring the nail driving mechanism down upon the lid and drive the nails therethrough into the ends of the box.

When the lidding operation is completed by the lidding machine 2, the box is then ready to be ejected from themachine, making way for the next succeeding box from the conveyor the lidded box being passed out of the lidding machine, for example, to the strapping machine 3, where a strap will be applied across the center of the lidded cover of the box. In order to quickly eject the lidded boxfrom the lidding machine 2', and to save efiorton the part of the operator of the machine in manually pushing the lidded box out of the machine, I provide a box moving or ejecting mechanism connected for operation by the lidding machine to apply power to the box.

The embodiment of the present invention which has been illustrated in the drawings comprises a bar or rail M which is mounted longitudinally on one side of the lidding machine I and extending parallel to. the rails of the box supporting table 20. so that the: boxes l3 will pass closely adjacent thereto.

A box moving mechanism indicated generally by the reference character I 5, is illustrated as being mounted upon the rail M for longitudinal reciprocation thereof, the box moving mechanism 5 including a channel-shaped frame l6 surrounding the rail 4 and having two pairs of vertically aligned openings l1 and l8 therein to receive bolts l9 and 20, respectively, each of the bolts having a. roller 22" mounted thereon to constitute a roller bearing engaging the rear surface of the rail l4.

Pivotally mounted upon the extending end of the bolt I9 is a box engaging dog 2| illustrated particularly in Fig. 5, as an L-shaped member, the long branch of the L constituting an elongated lever arm receiving the pivot bolt l9, while the short branch of the arm constitutes'a dog which will engage behind the rear surface of the box 3 in the lidding machine. The frame l6 and the box engaging dog 2| are arranged to be normally urged toward the right-hand side of the lidding machine 2, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of a spring 29, one end of which is connected in an eye 3|] formed in the outer end of the long branch of the L-shaped dog 2|, the other end of the spring 29 being adjustably secured to some stationary part of the right-hand side of the lidding machine 2, as by means of a wing bolt 30, for engaging the righthand end frame of the lidding machine.

The box moving mechanism is arranged to be drawn to the left, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, against the force of the spring 29 to engage the short branch of the L-shaped dog 2| behind the box I3 in the lidding machine and for this purpose I have illustrated a cable 23 trained over a pulley 24, mounted upon the rail I4, and the cable extending downwardly toward the crank 6, by whi'ch the nailing head I0 is actuated. The end of the cable 23 is illustrated as being secured to an angular bracket 26, one end of which is bifurcated as indicated at 21, to be received between the socket 8 of the connecting rod 1 and a suitable nut 9 so that movement of the socket by rotation of the drive shaft 4 will move the bracket 26 from an elevated position correspond ing to the elevated position of the nailing head In to a lowermost position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and then returned to the uppermost position upon the completion of the rotation of the drive shaft 4. The cable 23 is illustrated as being connected to the bracket 26 as by means of a cable clamp 28 which permits adjustment of the length of the cable 23 to insure that when the drive shaft 4 has been moved to position the cranks 6 as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the'cable 23 will be drawn to such position as will align the short branch of the L-shaped dog 2| behind the end of the box in the lidding machine. Thus while the box I3 is held in the lidding machine, either by the clamping action of the pressing or nailing elements of the lidding machine 2, or by suitable box-strap or box-holding mechanisms which are usually applied to said lidding machine as shown in the patent granted to George D. Parker, No. 1,818,646, on August 11, 1931, or by Parker Patent No. 1,777,474, hereinbefore referred to, the box-moving mechanism I5 is drawn back by the operation of the lidding machine to engage the rear end of the box. Thus when at the completion of the nailing operations the box is released by the lidding machine, either by releasing of pressure on the part of the nailingmechanisms or by the automatic release of box-stop mechanisms in the machine, such as are commonly employed in this industry, the power which has been stored into the tension spring 29 will pull the box |3 out of its nailing position in the nailing machine and eject the same therefrom, accomplishing the moving of the box from the machine without the necessity of any manual effort upon the part of the operator of the machine.

In the embodiment of the invention shown herein, the box, when moved from the lidding machine 2, passes through the strapping machine 3, which is only shown diagrammatically herein as being of a type well-known in this industry and illustrated in detail in the Parker Patent No. 1,777,474, hereinbefore referred to, including essentially a box supporting table 3a formed like the conveyor l and the box supporting table 2a, as a section of roller conveyor aligned with and forming a continuation of the box supporting table 2a and including a plurality or rollers 317 over which the box 13 may readily move into strapping position in the strapping machine 3, and out of the machine; and a vertically extending frame 30, supporting the box strapping mechanism, not shown in detail herein.

The usual practice in the industry is to arrange the lidding and strapping machines end to end, as shown herein, both to be operated by a single operator who, when he has nailed a lid to a box in the lidding machine, moves such box to the strapping machine and then operates the strapping machine to apply a strap thereto, while he is again operating the lidding machine to apply a cover to a second box. Thus the second box, which has been lidded, and the first box which has been strapped, may be moved simultaneously out of their respective machines, the strapped box passing away from the strapping machine, the newly lidded box passing through the strapping machine, and a third box entering the lidding machine from the conveyor I. Thus the strapping machine may also be provided with a box moving or ejecting mechanism l5a identical in all respects to the box ejecting or moving mechanism l5 described with reference to the lidding machine 2, this mechanism including a frame lBa supported upon an extension Ma of the rail I4 and having a box engaging dog Zia thereon connected by means of a spring 29a to a stationary portion of the strapping machine 3.

I have illustrated herein one manner of operating the box ejecting mechanism I511 to alternately retract the same against the force of its spring 29a to place the dog Zla behind the box which is in strapping position in the strapping machine 3, and then to release the same to allow the spring 29a to press the box out of the strapping machine 3, as by connecting the cable 23a therefor to a bracket 26a secured to the connecting rod 1 on the right-hand side of the lidding machine, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus when a box is in strapping position on the strapping machine 3 and the lidding machine is subsequently operated to apply a lid to a second box in the lidding machine, the return movement of the crank 6, after the lidding operation is complete, will release both of the boxes in the lidding and strapping machines, and the springs 29 and 29a of the respective box mechanisms will simultaneously move the boxes out of their respective machines.

It will be observed that by reason of the pivotal connection of the dog 2| while it is being retracted by the cable 23, it will be pressed by the spring 29 into engagement with the sides of the dogs along which it is being drawn and then, when the dog arrives at the end of the box, the spring 29, being now tensioned, will snap the short branch of the L-shaped dog in behind the box.

It is believed that the many advantages of a box moving and ejecting mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention will be readily understood, and although the preferred embodiment of the invention is as illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to which will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:-

1. A box moving mechanism for box machines comprising a carriage slidably mounted on the machine, a dog pivotally mounted on the carriage, means operatively connecting the dog to the machine for actuation thereby in one direction, and resilient means connected with the dog for actuating said dog in the opposite direction and for moving the box.

2. A box moving mechanism for box machines comprising a bar mounted on the machine, a carriage slidably mounted on the bar, a dog pivotally mounted on the carriage for operative engagement with the box, a spring connected with the dog for engaging said dog with the box and for moving the box, and means operatively connecting the dog to the machine for retracting said dog.

3. The combination with a machine for applying lids to boxes, which machine includes a box supporting table constituting a conveyor over which boxes may be drawn into operative position in said machine and moved outwardly thereof, box engaging and holding means for engaging and holding said box in operative position in said machine while said machine applies lids thereto, of box ejecting means including a dog for engaging boxes, means mounting said dog on said machine for reciprocation in the direction of movement of boxes through said machine, means for retracting said dog in a direction opposite to the direction in which said boxes are to be moved out of said machine, said retracting means comprising means connecting said dog to mechanism on said machine operated during the lid-applying operations thereof, and spring means normally urging said dog in the direction of movement of boxes from said machine, tensioned by said retracting of said dog, whereby, when said lip-applying means releases said box after said lid-applying operations, said spring will move said box out of said machine.

CARL HARVEY PAXTON. 

